West Chester Chess Club News
To see all completed swiss and quad club events, visit this USCF page. Come play chess with us any Thursday you can make it!
June 9 - WCCC Significant Changes - Club leadership
First, and foremost, I would like to thank all the longtime members of our WCCC family for their individual support and adherence to our policies. Our club just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and there is a reason we have lasted so long.
I am attaching two new and significant changes to the operation of our club and hope they will enhance the enjoyment of everyone that is a member and who plays here. I am also attaching the year’s schedule which is put out annually by Donald Anderson.
Also, our club’s officers have become aware that some of our younger members are becoming disruptive during the games. Parents are reminded that their child’s behavior is their responsibility. The TD is not a babysitter. If someone’s game is concluded they are welcome to remain and quietly watch other games, however, running around the room or other disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and could result is suspension.
The strict 7:30 rule will be effective with the next Quad. The new two section policy will be effective with the next Swiss. I’d advise everyone to start becoming accustomed to it now.
PLEASE READ THE ATTACHMENTS!
Attachment 1 - Event schedule and TDs
Attachment 2 - Club Rules
Attachment 3 - Upper and lower sections
June 9 - Summer Solstice Swiss - First Round Results and Changes to Club Rules
Here are the results of the first round. The only true upset was in the Under 1600 Section with Bruce Evans, 980, beating Samar Mahmood, 1240, a 260 point difference. There were a couple of notable games that ended in draws. Pranav Srinivisula, 1323, drew Nate Bryans, 1958; and Akshaj Bodla, 1395, getting a draw with William Chen, 1800. No easy games.
This brings us to a discussion going on among the club's officers, which I will throw out for everyone's information.
There is no doubt that some of our newer players are very good, but it doesn't seem fair to anyone for a 1300 or lower player to play an 1800 or higher player. It cannot be enjoyable for either. A lower rated player will move up pretty quickly if they are really that good. This also cuts down on the number of lower rated players competing in the lower section which means those players consistently play the same people.
Because anyone may play in the Open, it is being considered to change the Open to something like an Over 1500 or other arbitrary rating. The caveat would be that, at the discretion of the TD, the lower rated player in the Upper Section or the higher rated player in the Lower Section could be moved to prevent an odd number in both sections which would mean two players would get a bye.
June 2 - USCF and club win-loss and ratings by player updated
The MAYhem Quads have been posted at the USCF site. Also, the club win-loss and ratings by player has been i[dated
May 29 - MAYhem Quads - Aaron Biscoe
View the results of the MAYhem quads here. 32 players took part!
May 24 - Club member standings updated
Club Championship standings - Donald Anderson
Club member ratings and club record - Bob Flanagan
May 24 - USCF results updated - Aaron Biscoe
The Memorial Swiss Mayhem has been posted to the USCF site.
May 22 - Results of round 4 in the Memorial Swiss Mayhem
Open round 4 results (ratings are as of start of swiss)
U1600 Round 4 results (ratings are as of start of swiss)
May 15 - Results of round 3 in the Memorial Swiss Mayhem - Bob Flanagan
Upsets continue in the Swiss Mayhem!
Open round 3 results. Open standings after round 3 (ratings are as of start of swiss)
U1600 round 3 results. U1600 standings after round 3 (ratings are as of start of swiss)
May 8 - Results of round 2 in the Memorial Swiss Mayhem - Bob Flanagan
There were fewer upsets in the Mayhem Swiss! Upsets are colored gold. Standings can be found at chessnut.club
Open Round 2 results (ratings are as of start of swiss)
U1600 Round 2 results (ratings are as of start of swiss)
May 5 - Congrats from Donald Anderson
Just wanted to highlight some nice games last week at the West Chester Chess Club.
The tournament is living up to its name: Memorial MAYhem Swiss.
- Vincent Zhang (1178) beat Anthony Bowden (1616)
- Bob Flanagan (1436) upset Aaron Biscoe (1940)
- John Kula (1521) upset Greg Nolan (2043)
- Kritarth Acharya (1615) got a nice draw with Patrick McRee (1848)
- Joseph Nweke (1217) did the same with a draw against Aritra Misra (1631)
Bring your "A" game every week to this club!
May 1 - Memorial Swiss Mayhem Round 1 - Bob Flanagan
It was an upset filled Thursday night! Let me say it again! It was an upset filled Thursday night! FIVE higher rated Open players lost! The five matches are colored in gold below. In the Joseph Nweke vs Aritra Misra match, Aritra played the last 15-20 moves with just 7 seconds on the clock. He had to keep Joseph in check to prevent Joseph from queening a pawn. Needless to say, lots of pressure. In the Kritarch Acharya vs Patrick McRee match, Acharya was up a minor piece but Patrick had three more pawns. Not certain which one pulled out a draw :). In the Biscoe - Flanagan match, Bob won a minor piece early in the game. But the game lasted until move 60 with Aaron going for a draw by repetition that Bob blocked. Bob then went on to queen a pawn to finish the match.
In the U1600 pairings, there were no upsets! One new unrated player, Adam Hock, pulled off a win versus one of the stronger U1600 players.
April 19 - Spring Swiss Results
The Spring Swiss is completed and the results posted at the USCF site. Next week, April 24th will be quads, time control G30/d5.
Apr 18 - Quads Next Week - Donald Anderson
On Thursday, April 24th, we will have Quads. Time control G30/d5.
April 18 - Championship Qualifications
Click here to view the Club championship standings as of April 18th
April 11 - Spring Swiss - Ed Snyder
A couple of long games last night, but for a change we got started closer to 7:45 which is ideal. Thanks to everyone for putting your chairs and tables away.
No true upsets but maybe a few surprises. All games, as usual, were hard fought and it shows how much we all love this game.
Mar 28 - Spring Swiss Round 1 - Ed Snyder
Here are the results from last night's games.
We all know this club is getting stronger and there are no easy games. Round 1 of any Swiss tournament, which pits the higher rated players against lower rated players usually finishes with the stronger winning the vast majority of games, with maybe an exception or two.
While there was only one upset last night, with Karl Cossaboon, 1193, winning over Donald Anderson, 1701, there were three draws.
Aritra Misra, 1655, drew Denis Markov, 2031; Abhishek Modak, 1607, drew Joe Mucerino, 2015; and Richard Neal, 1600, drew Ed Kline, 1989.
With this being only the second tournament in this year's race for the Championship it is already looking very interesting.
There was also one upset in the Under 1600 section that was equally impressive. Joseph Nweke, 993 won over Carl Griffin, 1333.
Mar 16 - Championship Run - Ed Snyder
A quick note to elaborate on Donald's thorough explanation of how the eight players with the most points get to the Championship.
Those eight players are seeded according to the number of points with the top four getting the extra white in the seven round tournament. Tie breaks are first determined by head-to-head competition between the tied players. The second and final tie break is by rating, with the highest getting the higher seed.
This is a simple and easy, and I believe a fair system, that is easy for everyone to follow throughout the year to see how they are doing.
Mar 16 - More on the Club - Ed Snyder
Donald does a fantastic job of monitoring this every year and he has explained in this email how it works. I have been fortunate to have played in the Championship several times, when I was a slightly stronger player and the club was not as strong as it is now. I anticipate we will have several players in it this year who have never played in it before. All this makes the club more interesting and enjoyable for all.
Thanks, Donald.
Mar 14 - Championship Standings, Quads and Last Night
The race is on. Here is the 2026 Championship Qualification standings from the first of nine (9) tournaments this year.
Reminder: only 1/2 point is given for 1 point bye. That's not to penalize the player who is present but because there is an odd number he/she cannot play but that alone does not warrant a full point. Regular byes (1/2 points given when absent) do not receive any points.
The system favors those that attend regularly, beat the opponents they should beat, and occasionally win over a stronger player. That recipe should get you into the Championship.
Next week we'll have a night of Quads. That's 3 games, G30;d5. Your opponents will be rated closely to you.
As a result, these games are hightly tactical and competitive. It'll be a tough night for all. Last night, Mel Ross (1782) escaped with a draw against Aidan McHutchison (1360). Note: escaped.
Good job Aidan.
Mar 7 - Club player rating distibution - Bob Flanagan
There were a total of 107 players who played at the club during the past year. USCF ratings ranged from 445 to 2175. Full details on who played who are found here.
- 19 were under 1000
- 40 were between 1000 and 1600
- 24 were between 1600 and 1800
- 17 were beteen 1800 and 2000
- 7 were over 2000
Mar 7 - Kickoff Swiss rd 3 - Donald Anderson
Lots of draws this round. Most notable:
- Jim Larsen (1923) v Noah Prewitt (1590)
- Abhishek Modak (1570) v Preston Ladson (1800)
- Todd Guay (1640) v Bob Flanagan (1439)
- Aritra Misra (1678) v Aidan McHutchison (1360)
Hannah Matlack (1273) upset Richard Neal (1600). Second straight tournament she's done it.
In the Under 1600, Robert Hermann (544) got close to his first WCCC win with a draw against Paul Tatlow (818).
Feb 28 - Kickoff Swiss rd 2 - Donald Anderson
Recent member Aidan MccHutchison (1360) collected a draw against Richard Neal (1600) last night.
Feb 21 - 2025 WCCC Championship - Ed Snyder
Joe Mucerino was presented with his 2025 WCCC CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY last night by Donald Anderson at the club.
And the race has begun for next year's champion.
Feb 21 - Kickoff Swiss round 1 results - Donald Anderson
The Kickoff Swiss went pretty much as expected for Round 1 except for one game. Hannah Matlack (1273) had a draw against John Helmbrecht (1835). Congrats to Hannah!
Feb 17 - 2025 Swiss Schedule - Donald Anderson
About the Club Championship:
In 2005, a rule was established that you had to play 12 games to qualify to play in the club championship. Over the years we modified it to limit the field to the top 8 Open Section players based upon the number of wins accumulated over the year.
We play 9 four round swiss tournaments for a maximum of 36 points (by attending each week and going undefeated). In 2024, Joe Mucerino was the top player with 23 points. It took only 15 ½ points to be in the top 8. Win only 43% of your games and you’re in.
The race to qualify for the 2026 Championship begins Thursday 2/20 as we get back to regular order with the Kickoff Swiss. Yeah, 43% sounds reasonable enough. But there are no easy games in the West Chester Chess Club.
Good luck to everyone. And have fun.
Feb 14 - WCCC Championship - Ed Snyder
The WCCC Championship is over for 2025. This could have gone three ways, Nate Bryans could have won outright, Joe Mucerino and Nate could have tied, or Joe could have won it all, which is what happened.
Congratulations, Joe.
Both Joe and Nate went undefeated which is amazing considering the field of players.
I'm always curious to see who will be in the Championship each year. We have some strong new players so who knows?
Feb 7 - Suber Bowl Random Swiss round 1 - Donald Anderson
The fireworks didn't disappoint last night. Noah Prewitt (1590) upset Jim Larsen (1964).
Some otherwise Under 1600 players who participated in the Open were richly rewarded. Hannah Matlack (1306) defeated Richard Neal (1600) and Karl Cossaboon (1144) defeated Bob Flanagan (1515).
Nice wins, guys.
Feb 4 - About the next Swiss - Donald Anderson
For the start of the next tournament this Thursday we will utilize the pairing software to make random pairings.
I am also encouraging the Under 1600 players to play in the Open. I promise not to pair you with anyone over 1700 in round 1.
You should play some of the stronger players in the club every now and then as a measure of how much of your chess you think has improved. Now would be a good time to do that before we go back to our regular order.
Feb 3 - Remaining Championship Matches - Bob Flanagan
| White | Black | |
| Kline | Nolan | |
| Kline | Christofides | |
| Kline | Biscoe | |
| Nolan | Mucerino | |
| Markov | Christofides | |
| Markov | Ladson | |
| Murcerino | Christofides | |
| Ladson | Bryans | |
| Biscoe | Bryans |
| Player | Points | To Play | ||
| Murcerino | 4.5 points | Christofides | ||
| Bryans | 3.5 points | Ladson, Biscoe | ||
| Nolan | 3 points | Kline, Murcerino | ||
| Biscoe | 2.5 points | Kline, Bryans | ||
| Christofides | 2 points | Kline, Markov, Murcerino | ||
| Markov | 2 points | Christofides, Ladson | ||
| Kline | 1.5 points | Nolan, Christofides, and Biscoe | ||
| Ladson | 0 points | Bryans |
Feb 3 - Member Matches and Ratings - Bob Flanagan
The table of matches between members has been updated for the Reserve Swiss
Feb 3 - Random Swiss this coming Thursday - Donald Anderson
SwissSys has a random pairing option. I've tested it on a dummy tournament and it gives some unpredictable match ups. So, we're having a Random Swiss.
Jan 25 - Reserve Swiss Results Donald Anderson
The Reserve Swiss has been posted to the USCF site. The following club players had big rating gains!
| Jim Larsen | +72 |
| Ed Snyder | +105 |
| Hannah Matlack | +113 |
| Lou Gotlib | +92 |
Jan 25 - Latest Championship Results - Ed Snyder and Jim Larsen
Here are the results and standings for Round 5. As always some very interesting games and as usual all were tough. Several players are out of contention and with only two games remaining could certainly spoil the chances for those still in the running.
Jan 24 - Reserve Round 4 results - Donald Anderson
We will be having a 5th round in this event so it will not be scored with the USCF until next week
Jan 24 - Championship Round 4 results - Ed Snyder and Jim Larsen
Here are last night's results. All four games ended late, around or after 11:00pm. All interesting and hard fought.
Denis Markov, last year's champion, won his first game. I find it interesting that there are no ties in the standings, eight players and eight positions.
Jan 24 - Almost perfect London by Both sides - Bob Flanagan
This London game from last night was played with 95% accuracy, no blunders, mistakes or inaccuracies (by LiChess). WCCC players who wish free access to www.chesspractice.com please send an email to bobflanagan1 @ gmail.com
Jan 24 - Reserve round 4 results - Bob Flanagan
Last night's results. I'll replace with Donald's detail once I receive it.
Jan 17 - Championship Results - Ed Snyder and Jim Larsen
All four of these games were hard fought and difficult. Of course, to me, these games always look difficult. Nate Bryans and Denis Markov were the last game to finish at 11:15. Denis had two seconds remaining and I believe Nate had about eighteen. Nate won by checkmate! I made the comment that it is a wonder we don't have more heart attacks during these games, and someone else said, including "the spectators."
The standings (attached) are close and next week the two games to watch are MUCERINO/BISCOE both with two and a half, and NOLAN/BRYANS with two each.
It was great to see Trooper Drew Fleming paying us a visit. He had a tough game with Dirk Troltenier and managed to squeeze out a victory.
Hope to see everyone next week.
Round 3 results and standings:
Jan 17 - Round 3 Reserve Swiss Results
Several upsets as usual :)
Jan 9 - WCCC Championship results - Jim Larsen
Jan 9 - Reserve Swiss Round 2 Results - Donald Anderson
The following are the results of round 2 of the Reserve Swiss. There were 9 upsets out of 13 matches! Kritarth Acharya is on the way to a large rating gain (124 points) with a draw in round 1 against Bill Moyer and a victory in round 2 over Samar Mahood.
Jan 3 - WCCC 2025 Club Championship - Jim Larson
The WCCC Championship is off and running. Here are the results and standings.
Jan 3 - Reserve Swiss Results and Club Dues - Donald Anderson
Reminder: Jim Larsen is now collecting club dues of $20 for 2025. Cash is the primary way to pay.
I have 3 Tap n Set clocks in our bookcase that's set for G90;d5 if you need to use one.
Please notify the director if you are going to be later than the 7:30 start time. Text me, Aaron Biscoe or Ed Snyder. It’s annoying the have to re-pair because of a late attendee. We know some of you come from work or a long distance so I'm putting you on notice. Expect that you may not be paired if you arrive late.
Correction on the last paragraph in the note below. Accelerated pairing will be after the Reserve which started last night. Here are round 1 results:
